A fierce debate has been sparked on social media following the news that Uber are set to trial a new feature that could potentially be a 'slippery slope'.
Uber has said they are determined to make the platform better for its female users, and is taking steps to make them feel safer.
In a post on July 23, they announced they would be trialling a scheme called Women Preferences - features designed to give women riders and drivers more choice, more confidence, and more flexibility when they use Uber.
The scheme, which will allow women passengers to select women drivers and fellow women passengers, will be trialled in three major cities - Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit.
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The company said: “Across the US, women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips. We’ve heard them—and now we’re introducing new ways to give them even more control over how they ride and drive."
For the women wanting a female driver, 'when requesting a trip on demand, women riders will see an option called Women Drivers'. And if the wait time is longer than anticipated, they can always opt for another ride with a faster pick-up.
On the driver side, according to the company, 'women drivers will soon have the option to request trips with women riders, including during peak earning hours like evenings'.
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They can also receive trip requests from all riders if they so choose.
While some people have praised Uber for this move, many on social media have been less convinced.
One Reddit user said: “On one hand, I understand where the policy is coming from. On the other hand, this seems like a slippery slope and might cause more problems than not.
“We allow women to say they don’t feel comfortable with male drivers and select female only, but would that work in any other context with any other demographic? What if someone said 'white drivers only'? That would be considered abjectly racist. Because it is."
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Another argued: "Not trying to start anything but curious how it will apply to those who identify differently."
However, another person open to Uber addressing the women's safety issue commented: “I have seen a ton of anecdotes people have been sharing as both riders and drivers, all of which report horror stories of absolute creepos trying to seduce the women in both positions.
"I have no idea if this is the right solution, but it seems reasonable to say that it is indeed a problem needing a solution."
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Another agreed and added: "I have had poor experiences with creepy cab drivers. None of those poor experiences were with women drivers.
"This is a much welcomed feature for me."
What do you think? Would you be using this if the feature came to your city?
UNILAD has contacted Uber for comment.
Gerrard Kaonga